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Corban University has appointed Jordan Wade as vice president for business and chief business officer
Portland Singing Christmas Tree’s 61st season continues through Dec. 3
Community Christmas Cantata Choir returns to Yamhill County for its 37th season, Dec. 3-21
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VOL. 30 - NO. 3
northwest Embracing a New Chapter
Multnomah University to begin new identity as Multnomah campus of Jessup University
Photo by Tim Hirsch
Mission Connexion, set for Jan. 19-20, paves way for your entry into evangelism
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eady to test your faith by embarking on a mission trip? Want to better equip your church to support those going out? Whatever part of missions is calling you, your church, or your organization, Mission Connexion Northwest, set for Jan. 19-20 at Sunset Church, 14986 N.W. Cornell Rd., Portland, has something to equip all for service. This year’s event will feature four keynote speakers: Wendy Palau, speaker/ author for the Palau Association; Sean McDowell, speaker/author for Sean McDowell Ministry; Robert E. Levy, entrepreneur/chairman of Jamaica Broilers Group; and Mark Mittelberg, speaker/ author at Lee Strobel Center. As well, Phil Church & Sunset Worship will lead the worship and KPDQ Talk Show Host Georgene Rice will serve as emcee. The conference, which gets underway at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, will close out
Friday with Palau’s keynote, 7-9 p.m. It reopens at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, with McDowell taking the stage at 9 a.m., Levy at 3 p.m. and Mittelberg at 7 p.m. The conference also features more than 100 workshops in four hour-long sessions (4:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, and 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20) that will address topics such as ministries to specific people groups, discipleship in missions, missionary care, apologetics, and prayer. And featured throughout the church will be in excess of 80 exhibitors, each addressing a different area of ministry. Amongst them will be educational institutions, ministry mobilization organizations, prison ministries, worship, missionary care, ministry to the unborn, missionary travel and insurance, technology in missions, and much more. The event is held in partnership with
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. -Proverbs 16:9, ESV
local churches in an effort to connect believers with mission opportunities. The many exhibitors are a way for attendees to learn about opportunities offered by a wide variety of missions. There is no fee to attend the main conference, but registration is required. To learn more about the conference or to register in advance, visit missionconnexion.global/northwest-2024/. Prior to the main conference, MissionWorks, which puts on the event, will also host a trio of pre-conference events: “A Code of Best Practice for Short-Term Mission Practitioners,” held Jan. 18, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ($175); “Following Christ by Leading Missions, Jan. 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., ($75); and “Making Mission Trips Better, Jan. 19-20 ($75). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit missionconnexion.global/ northwest-2024/.
Prineville, Oregon Photo by Tim Hirsch
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WPU receives federal recognition as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution
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arner Pacific University recently announced it has received the Asian American and Native American Pacific islander designation from the U.S. Department of Education. The new federal status will be added to WPU’s current status as a Hispanic Serving Institution – a designation first awarded WPU in 2018. It was the first Oregon university to achieve this honor. Both the AANAPISI and HSI statuses are among several designations that comprise the Minority Serving Institution programs supported by the U.S. Department of Education. According to WPU, it is the only Christ-centered university in the Pacific Northwest with a Minority Serving mission. “As a Christ-centered university, we couldn’t be prouder to serve a diverse student body,” said WPU President Dr. Brian Johnson. “To us, it is exactly in keeping with the Biblical mission we have to equip every single student who comes to us with the ability to lead purpose-driven lives. And while we never reduce students to a box to be checked, we are honored to be a place diverse students are choosing, and to lift up families who have historically been shut out of ample access to great higher education.” School officials say that having the AANAPISI designation not only acknowledges the large, diverse population of Asian American and Pacific Islander students who attend and graduate from Warner Pacific, but allows WPU to apply for outside funding that the university hopes will expand and improve the overall quality of experience for Asian American and Pacific Islander undergraduate, first generation, and lowincome students. AANAPISI designation, together with WPU’s Hispanic Serving Institution status, further positions WPU to be recognized as the premier MSI in Oregon. Such recognition also provides new opportunities for WPU students and helps recruit incoming students from the state of Oregon and beyond. Student Juwlyzae (“JuJu”) Williams serves as WPU’s student body president and identifies as Asian American. She grew up in Oahu, Hawaii with a close-knit family. She says WPU feels like an extension of her home culture. “Coming in as a transfer student from a nonChristian school and having people that not only relate to my faith but also my culture really makes me feel like I belong,” she said. “These two factors working together helped me have the support and confidence to get involved in things like student leadership, serving on the ministry team as student chaplain, playing on the women’s volleyball team, and participating in our AAPI Club. Here, I am bringing the fullest version of myself so I can become the fullest version of myself.” To obtain the AANAPISI designation, an institution must have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 10 percent Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and meet other requirements based on Pell Grant-eligible students and have what the U.S. Department of Education considers low educational costs. Native American Pacific Islanders are defined as descendants of the Aboriginal people of American islands in the Pacific Ocean (Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands). Based on Spring 2022 enrollment, AAPI students made up 12.3 percent of WPU’s campus enrollment.